The approach of the Spring Equinox offers us a chance to get warmed up for our gardens coming back to life! Spring brings a veritable smorgasbord of inspiration in books for young readers, from the science of a seed becoming a blossoming garden, to the hands-on crafting of an origami flower, to a a field […]
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It’s the end of another publishing year and the best lists are snowing upon us! What we love about the plethora of these lists from children’s literature experts, review publications, and national press resources is how so many perspectives pop into focus: diverse list makers see “best” in so many different—and complementary—ways. Some of the
Celebrating Titles Featured on 2024’s Best Books for Kids Lists Read More »
International Yoga Day, celebrated annually on June 21st, is a global event dedicated to promoting the practice and benefits of yoga. As more people embrace this ancient discipline for its physical, mental, and emotional health benefits, the interest in introducing yoga to children has grown. Children’s books on yoga provide wonderful gateways for young minds
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The newly released list from Bank Street College of Education reflects their Children’s Book Committee’s choices from 2023’s publications. Bank Street’s seal of “best” is recognized by librarians, teachers, teacher training programs, and parents as a gold standard guide to children’s books. The selection committee is composed of more than two dozen members who are
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Westerners have a peculiar way of prioritizing physical status over the conditions of our minds. We supply, even in casual conversation with children (and other adults), specific names for an array of possibilities when talking about our physical manifestations, including the experience of excellent health, impediments such as injury and disease names, recovery degrees, and
Fusing the delights of music and story is a powerful way to teach basic concepts as well as explore deeper ideas and emotions. Over my nearly 30 years of teaching young children, I’ve set a LOT of knowledge to simple tunes: the names of continents, oceans, countries and states, math concepts, simplified steps of the
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Each January, the United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) announces their Outstanding International Books list during a meeting at the American Library Association conference. The latest list, reflecting books published or released in 2023 and chosen by a committee of USBBY members, has just been released and we are delighted to find
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For most of humanity’s existence on Earth, people have migrated from one place to another as individuals, as family groups, and as entire cultures. Today’s humans can find themselves migrating out of need—escaping war, poverty, and danger to seek a place to call home–or moving in search of better jobs, or to help care for
Seeing Migration Experiences in Recent Picture Books Read More »
There are whole months and days dedicated to raising mental health awareness, but this is a topic that deserves to be addressed all year long. Kids may be tiny people, but they have BIG feelings, and it’s important to support them through their emotions and experiences. From anxiety and sadness to excitement and anger, this
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